TY - JOUR A1 - Tippkötter, Nils A1 - Wollny, Steffen A1 - Suck, Kirstin A1 - Sohling, Ulrich A1 - Ruf, Friedrich A1 - Ulber, Roland T1 - Recycling of spent oil bleaching earth as source of glycerol for the anaerobic production of acetone, butanol, and ethanol with Clostridium diolis and lipolytic Clostridium lundense JF - Engineering in Life Sciences N2 - A major part of edible oil is subjected to bleaching procedures, primarily with minerals applied as adsorbers. Their recycling is currently done either by regaining the oil via organic solvent extraction or by using the spent bleaching earth (SBE) as additive for animal feed, etc. As a new method, the reutilization of the by-product SBE for the microbiologic formation of acetone, butanol, and ethanol (ABE) is presented as proof-of-concept. The SBE was taken from a palm oil cleaning process. The recycling concept is based on the application of lipolytic clostridia strains. Due to considerably long fermentation times, co-fermentation with Candida rugosa and enzymatic hydrolyses of the bound oil with a subsequent clostridia fermentation are shown as alternative routes. Anaerobic fermentations under comparison of different clostridia strains were performed with glycerol media, enzymatically hydrolyzed palm oil and SBE. Solutes, side product compositions and productivities were quantified via HPLC. A successful production of ABE solutes from SBE has been done with a yield of 0.15 g butanol per gram of bound glycerol. Thus, the biotechnological recycling of the waste stream is possible in principle. Inhibition of the substrate suspension has been observed. A chromatographic ion-exchange of substrates increased the biomass concentration. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/elsc.201300113 SN - 1618-2863 VL - 14 IS - 4 SP - 425 EP - 432 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hoehr, Cornelia A1 - Paulßen, Elisabeth A1 - Benard, Francois A1 - Lee, Chris Jaeil A1 - Hou, Xinchi A1 - Badesso, Brian A1 - Ferguson, Simon A1 - Miao, Qing A1 - Yang, Hua A1 - Buckley, Ken A1 - Hanemaayer, Victoire A1 - Zeisler, Stefan A1 - Ruth, Thomas A1 - Celler, Anna A1 - Schaffer, Paul T1 - ⁴⁴ᶢSc production using a water target on a 13 MeV cyclotron JF - Nuclear medicine and biology N2 - Access to promising radiometals as isotopes for novel molecular imaging agents requires that they are routinely available and inexpensive to obtain. Proximity to a cyclotron center outfitted with solid target hardware, or to an isotope generator for the metal of interest is necessary, both of which can introduce significant hurdles in development of less common isotopes. Herein, we describe the production of ⁴⁴Sc (t₁⸝₂ = 3.97 h, Eavg,β⁺ = 1.47 MeV, branching ratio = 94.27%) in a solution target and an automated loading system which allows a quick turn-around between different radiometallic isotopes and therefore greatly improves their availability for tracer development. Experimental yields are compared to theoretical calculations. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2013.12.016 SN - 1872-9614 VL - 41 IS - 5 SP - 401 EP - 406 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bernecker, Andreas T1 - Do politicians shirk when reelection is certain? Evidence from the German parliament JF - European Journal of Political Economy N2 - Does stiffer electoral competition reduce political shirking? For a micro-analysis of this question, I construct a new data set spanning the years 2005 to 2012 covering biographical and political information about German Members of Parliament (MPs), including their attendance rates in voting sessions. For the parliament elected in 2009, I show that indeed opposition party MPs who expect to face a close race in their district show significantly and relevantly lower absence rates in parliament beforehand. MPs of governing parties seem not to react significantly to electoral competition. These results are confirmed by an analysis of the parliament elected in 2005, by several robustness checks, and also by employing an instrumental variable strategy exploiting convenient peculiarities of the German electoral system. The study also shows how MPs elected via party lists react to different levels of electoral competition. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2014.07.001 SN - 0176-2680 VL - 36 SP - 55 EP - 70 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bernecker, Andreas T1 - Divided Government and the Adoption of Economic Reforms JF - CESifo DICE Report - Journal for Institutional Comparison Y1 - 2014 SN - 1612-0663 VL - 12 IS - 4 SP - 47 EP - 52 PB - Ifo Institute for Economic Research CY - München ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Altherr, Lena A1 - Ederer, Thorsten A1 - Lorenz, Ulf A1 - Pelz, Peter F. A1 - Pöttgen, Philipp ED - Lübbecke, Marco ED - Koster, Arie ED - Letmathe, Peter ED - Madlener, Reihard ED - Peis, Britta ED - Walther, Grit T1 - Experimental validation of an enhanced system synthesis approach JF - Operations Research Proceedings 2014 N2 - Planning the layout and operation of a technical system is a common task for an engineer. Typically, the workflow is divided into consecutive stages: First, the engineer designs the layout of the system, with the help of his experience or of heuristic methods. Secondly, he finds a control strategy which is often optimized by simulation. This usually results in a good operating of an unquestioned sys- tem topology. In contrast, we apply Operations Research (OR) methods to find a cost-optimal solution for both stages simultaneously via mixed integer program- ming (MILP). Technical Operations Research (TOR) allows one to find a provable global optimal solution within the model formulation. However, the modeling error due to the abstraction of physical reality remains unknown. We address this ubiq- uitous problem of OR methods by comparing our computational results with mea- surements in a test rig. For a practical test case we compute a topology and control strategy via MILP and verify that the objectives are met up to a deviation of 8.7%. Y1 - 2014 SN - 978-3-319-28695-2 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28697-6_1 PB - Springer CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tippkötter, Nils A1 - Duwe, Anna-Maria A1 - Wiesen, Sebastian A1 - Sieker, Tim A1 - Ulber, Roland T1 - Enzymatic hydrolysis of beech wood lignocellulose at high solid contents and its utilization as substrate for the production of biobutanol and dicarboxylic acids JF - Bioresource Technology N2 - The development of a cost-effective hydrolysis for crude cellulose is an essential part of biorefinery developments. To establish such high solid hydrolysis, a new solid state reactor with static mixing is used. However, concentrations >10% (w/w) cause a rate and yield reduction of enzymatic hydrolysis. By optimizing the synergetic activity of cellulolytic enzymes at solid concentrations of 9%, 17% and 23% (w/w) of crude Organosolv cellulose, glucose concentrations of 57, 113 and 152 g L⁻¹ are reached. However, the glucose yield decreases from 0.81 to 0.72gg⁻¹ at 17% (w/w). Optimal conditions for hydrolysis scale-up under minimal enzyme addition are identified. As result, at 23% (w/w) crude cellulose the glucose yield increases from 0.29 to 0.49gg⁻¹. As proof of its applicability, biobutanol, succinic and itaconic acid are produced with the crude hydrolysate. The potential of the substrate is proven e.g. by a high butanol yield of 0.33gg⁻¹. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biortech.2014.06.052 VL - 167 SP - 447 EP - 455 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Hentschke, Reinhard A1 - Hager, Jonathan A1 - Hojdis, Nils T1 - Molecular Modeling Approach to the Prediction of Mechanical Properties of Silica-Reinforced Rubbers JF - Journal of Applied Polymer Science N2 - Recently, we have suggested a nanomechanical model for dissipative loss in filled elastomer networks in the context of the Payne effect. The mechanism is based on a total interfiller particle force exhibiting an intermittent loop, due to the combination of short-range repulsion and dispersion forces with a long-range elastic attraction. The sum of these forces leads, under external strain, to a spontaneous instability of “bonds” between the aggregates in a filler network and attendant energy dissipation. Here, we use molecular dynamics simulations to obtain chemically realistic forces between surface modified silica particles. The latter are combined with the above model to estimate the loss modulus and the low strain storage modulus in elastomers containing the aforementioned filler-compatibilizer systems. The model is compared to experimental dynamic moduli of silica filled rubbers. We find good agreement between the model predictions and the experiments as function of the compatibilizer's molecular structure and its bulk concentration. KW - theory and modeling KW - supramolecular structures KW - rubber KW - mechanical properties KW - elastomers Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/app.40806 SN - 1097-4628 VL - 131 IS - 18 SP - 1 EP - 9 PB - Wiley CY - New York, NY ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Vos, E. K. A1 - Lagemaat, M. W. A1 - Barentsz, J. O. A1 - Fütterer, J. J. A1 - Zamecnik, P. A1 - Roozen, H. A1 - Orzada, S. A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Maas, M. C. A1 - Scheenen, T. W. J. T1 - Image quality and cancer visibility of T2-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the prostate at 7 Tesla JF - European Radiology N2 - Objectives To assess the image quality of T2-weighted (T2w) magnetic resonance imaging of the prostate and the visibility of prostate cancer at 7 Tesla (T). Materials & methods Seventeen prostate cancer patients underwent T2w imaging at 7T with only an external transmit/receive array coil. Three radiologists independently scored images for image quality, visibility of anatomical structures, and presence of artefacts. Krippendorff’s alpha and weighted kappa statistics were used to assess inter-observer agreement. Visibility of prostate cancer lesions was assessed by directly linking the T2w images to the confirmed location of prostate cancer on histopathology. Results T2w imaging at 7T was achievable with ‘satisfactory’ (3/5) to ‘good’ (4/5) quality. Visibility of anatomical structures was predominantly scored as ‘satisfactory’ (3/5) and ‘good’ (4/5). If artefacts were present, they were mostly motion artefacts and, to a lesser extent, aliasing artefacts and noise. Krippendorff’s analysis revealed an α = 0.44 between three readers for the overall image quality scores. Clinically significant cancer lesions in both peripheral zone and transition zone were visible at 7T. Conclusion T2w imaging with satisfactory to good quality can be routinely acquired, and cancer lesions were visible in patients with prostate cancer at 7T using only an external transmit/receive body array coil. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1007/s00330-014-3234-6 SN - 1432-1084 VL - 24 IS - 8 SP - 1950 EP - 1958 PB - Springer CY - Cham ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Theysohn, Jens M. A1 - Kraff, Oliver A1 - Eilers, Kristina A1 - Andrade, Dorian A1 - Gerwig, Marcus A1 - Timmann, Dagmar A1 - Schmitt, Franz A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Ladd, Susanne C. A1 - Bitz, Andreas T1 - Vestibular effects of a 7 Tesla MRI examination compared to 1.5 T and 0 T in healthy volunteers JF - PLoS one N2 - Ultra-high-field MRI (7 Tesla (T) and above) elicits more temporary side-effects compared to 1.5 T and 3 T, e.g. dizziness or “postural instability” even after exiting the scanner. The current study aims to assess quantitatively vestibular performance before and after exposure to different MRI scenarios at 7 T, 1.5 T and 0 T. Sway path and body axis rotation (Unterberger's stepping test) were quantitatively recorded in a total of 46 volunteers before, 2 minutes after, and 15 minutes after different exposure scenarios: 7 T head MRI (n = 27), 7 T no RF (n = 22), 7 T only B₀ (n = 20), 7 T in & out B₀ (n = 20), 1.5 T no RF (n = 20), 0 T (n = 15). All exposure scenarios lasted 30 minutes except for brief one minute exposure in 7 T in & out B₀. Both measures were documented utilizing a 3D ultrasound system. During sway path evaluation, the experiment was repeated with eyes both open and closed. Sway paths for all long-lasting 7 T scenarios (normal, no RF, only B₀) with eyes closed were significantly prolonged 2 minutes after exiting the scanner, normalizing after 15 minutes. Brief exposure to 7 T B₀ or 30 minutes exposure to 1.5 T or 0 T did not show significant changes. End positions after Unterberger's stepping test were significantly changed counter-clockwise after all 7 T scenarios, including the brief in & out B₀ exposure. Shorter exposure resulted in a smaller alteration angle. In contrast to sway path, reversal of changes in body axis rotation was incomplete after 15 minutes. 1.5 T caused no rotational changes. The results show that exposure to the 7 Tesla static magnetic field causes only a temporary dysfunction or “over-compensation” of the vestibular system not measurable at 1.5 or 0 Tesla. Radiofrequency fields, gradient switching, and orthostatic dysregulation do not seem to play a role. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0092104 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 9 IS - 3 PB - PLOS CY - San Francisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lagemaat, Miriam W. A1 - Vos, Eline K. A1 - Maas, Marnix C. A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Orzada, Stephan A1 - Uden, Mark J. van A1 - Kobus, Thiele A1 - Heerschap, Arend A1 - Scheenen, Tom W. J. T1 - Phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging at 7 T in patients with prostate cancer JF - Investigative Radiology N2 - Objectives The aim of this study was to identify characteristics of phosphorus (³¹P) spectra of the human prostate and to investigate changes of individual phospholipid metabolites in prostate cancer through in vivo ³¹P magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) at 7 T. Materials and Methods In this institutional review board–approved study, 15 patients with biopsy-proven prostate cancer underwent T₂-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and 3-dimensional ³¹P MRSI at 7 T. Voxels were selected at the tumor location, in normal-appearing peripheral zone tissue, normal-appearing transition zone tissue, and in the base of the prostate close to the seminal vesicles. Phosphorus metabolite ratios were determined and compared between tissue types. Results Signals of phosphoethanolamine (PE) and phosphocholine (PC) were present and well resolved in most ³¹P spectra in the prostate. Glycerophosphocholine signals were observable in 43% of the voxels in malignant tissue, but in only 10% of the voxels in normal-appearing tissue away from the seminal vesicles. In many spectra, independent of tissue type, 2 peaks resonated in the chemical shift range of inorganic phosphate, possibly representing 2 separate pH compartments. The PC/PE ratio in the seminal vesicles was highly elevated compared with the prostate in 5 patients. A considerable overlap of ³¹P metabolite ratios was found between prostate cancer and normal-appearing prostate tissue, preventing direct discrimination of these tissues. The only 2 patients with high Gleason scores tumors (≥4+5) presented with high PC and glycerophosphocholine levels in their cancer lesions. Conclusions Phosphorus MRSI at 7 T shows distinct features of phospholipid metabolites in the prostate gland and its surrounding structures. In this exploratory study, no differences in ³¹P metabolite ratios were observed between prostate cancer and normal-appearing prostate tissue possibly because of the partial volume effects of small tumor foci in large MRSI voxels. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1097/RLI.0000000000000012 SN - 1536-0210 VL - 49 IS - 5 SP - 363 EP - 372 PB - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins CY - Philadelphia, Pa. ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Maas, Marnix C. A1 - Vos, Eline K. A1 - Lagemaat, Miriam W. A1 - Bitz, Andreas A1 - Orzada, Stephan A1 - Kobus, Thiele A1 - Kraff, Oliver A1 - Maderwald, Stefan A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Scheenen, Tom W. J. T1 - Feasibility of T₂-weighted turbo spin echo imaging of the human prostate at 7 tesla JF - Magnetic Resonance in Medicine N2 - Purpose To demonstrate that high quality T₂-weighted (T2w) turbo spin-echo (TSE) imaging of the complete prostate can be achieved routinely and within safety limits at 7 T, using an external transceive body array coil only. Methods Nine healthy volunteers and 12 prostate cancer patients were scanned on a 7 T whole-body system. Preparation consisted of B₀ and radiofrequency shimming and localized flip angle calibration. T₁ and T₂ relaxation times were measured and used to define the T2w-TSE protocol. T2w imaging was performed using a TSE sequence (pulse repetition time/echo time 3000–3640/71 ms) with prolonged excitation and refocusing pulses to reduce specific absorption rate. Results High quality T2w TSE imaging was performed in less than 2 min in all subjects. Tumors of patients with gold-standard tumor localization (MR-guided biopsy or prostatectomy) were well visualized on 7 T imaging (n = 3). The number of consecutive slices achievable within a 10-g averaged specific absorption rate limit of 10 W/kg was ≥28 in all subjects, sufficient for full prostate coverage with 3-mm slices in at least one direction. Conclusion High quality T2w TSE prostate imaging can be performed routinely and within specific absorption rate limits at 7 T with an external transceive body array. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/mrm.24818 SN - 1522-2594 VL - 71 IS - 5 SP - 1711 EP - 1719 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lehnertz, Klaus A1 - Ansmann, Gerrit A1 - Bialonski, Stephan A1 - Dickten, Henning A1 - Geier, Christian A1 - Porz, Stephan T1 - Evolving networks in the human epileptic brain JF - Physica D: Nonlinear Phenomena N2 - Network theory provides novel concepts that promise an improved characterization of interacting dynamical systems. Within this framework, evolving networks can be considered as being composed of nodes, representing systems, and of time-varying edges, representing interactions between these systems. This approach is highly attractive to further our understanding of the physiological and pathophysiological dynamics in human brain networks. Indeed, there is growing evidence that the epileptic process can be regarded as a large-scale network phenomenon. We here review methodologies for inferring networks from empirical time series and for a characterization of these evolving networks. We summarize recent findings derived from studies that investigate human epileptic brain networks evolving on timescales ranging from few seconds to weeks. We point to possible pitfalls and open issues, and discuss future perspectives. Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physd.2013.06.009 SN - 0167-2789 VL - 267 SP - 7 EP - 15 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tran, Duc Hung T1 - Multiple corporate governance attributes and the cost of capital – Evidence from Germany JF - The British Accounting Review N2 - This paper investigates the extent to which corporate governance affects the cost of debt and equity capital of German exchange-listed companies. I examine corporate governance along three dimensions: financial information quality, ownership structure and board structure. The results suggest that firms with high levels of financial transparency and bonus compensations face lower cost of equity. In addition, block ownership is negatively related to firms' cost of equity when the blockholders are other firms, managers or founding-family members. Consistent with the conjecture that agency costs increase with firm size, I find significant cost of debt effects only in the largest German companies. Here, the creditors demand lower cost of debt from firms with block ownerships held by corporations or banks. My findings demonstrate that a uniform set of governance attributes is unlikely to satisfy suppliers of debt and equity capital equally. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bar.2014.02.003 SN - 0890-8389 VL - 46 IS - 2 SP - 179 EP - 197 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Yang, Peng-Fei A1 - Kriechbaumer, Andreas A1 - Albracht, Kirsten A1 - Sanno, Maximilian A1 - Ganse, Bergita A1 - Koy, Timmo A1 - Shang, Peng A1 - brüggemann, Gert-Peter A1 - Müller, Lars Peter A1 - Rittweger, Jörn T1 - A novel optical approach for assessing in vivo bone segment deformation and its application in muscle-bone relationship studies in humans JF - Journal of Orthopaedic Translation Y1 - 2014 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jot.2014.07.078 SN - 2214-0328 SN - 2214-031X VL - 2 IS - 4 SP - 238 EP - 238 PB - Elsevier CY - Singapore ER -